Rail-joint.



J. w. HAWK. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1908.

906,796. Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

JOHN W. HAWK, OF NEW KENSINGTQN. PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed March 7, 1908. Serial No. 419,790.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HAWK, a citi-' zen of the United States, residing at New Kenslngton, 1n the county of VVestmoreland and State of Pennsylva nia, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in rail end 3,

enlarged, as ate, the enlargement being re- Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification. I

.This invention relates to the type of rail joints in which the meeting ends of the con nected' rails overlap one another, whereby a continuous bearing is provided for the wheels of the rolling stock at the point of -jointure of the rails.

The invention comprises a novel construc tion of rail ends, and means for holding the same in proper operative engagement with one another, in order to increase the strength of the joint means to a maximum degree, to eliminate the jar and vibration incidental to passage of the wheels of cars over the ends of the rails now most commonly in use, and to secure various other advantages.

For a full understanding of the invention, including the preferred construction, and 0 eration thereof, reference is to be had to t e following detailed description, and to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of rail joint means embodying the invention, a side of the rail chair bein broken away to more clearly show the interlocking engagement of the rail ends; Fig.2 is a perspective view of the adjacent connected end portions of'the rails, separated; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional. view; and Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view partly broken awa Similar reference characters denote similar parts. throughout the description and drawmgs.

Referring to the drawing particularly, the numeral 1 designates an ordinary railway tie, the numeral 2 the end of one rail, and the numeral 3 the end of the other rail. The rail ends 2 and 3 are snugly received in a rail chair 4 which rests upon, and is secured to, the tie l by spikes 5 or six ilar fastenings.

The head of the rail end 2 is formed with an interlocking tongue 6 extending therefrom into a recess 7 in the similar ortion of the The outer end of t ,e tongue 6 is ceived in the widened portion 7 a of. the recess '7 in the head of the rail end 3.

- Not only are the head portions of the rails adapted to be interlocked but the base porspiked or fastened to the tie 1.

.tions are similarly connected. The base 3 of the rail end 3 projects some distance from the web and head portions thereof, the roi'ecting base portion being provided wit 1 a ongitudinal slot'8,the inner extremity of which is transversely widened at 8. The provision of the slot '8, and the formation of recesses 9 in the portions of the base 3 at opposite sides of said slot, form hooks 10 at the outer ektremity of the projecting portion of the base 3".

The base 2 of the rail end 2 is cut away so that its outermost portion is formed with an interlocking projection 11 adapted to be received in the widened ortion 8 of the slot 8, the narrow portion oi the base 2 adjacent to the projection 11 fitting within the slot 8.

Angularly shaped recesses 12 are formed in opposite sides of the base 2 and said recesses are adapted to snugly receive the hooks .10 which interlock with the rail end 2 by engagement with the base 2 in the manner I above mentioned.

In the operation of connecting the rail ends together and securely attaching thesame to the railway ties, the chair 4 is slipped, upon one of the rail ends, preferably that numbered 3 and moved longitudinally thereof until it clears the recess 7. The rail 2 is then moved downwardly so that its interlocking tongue 6 will be received in the recess 7, and the recesses 12 will receive the hooks 10. Both the head and basal portions of the rail ends are thus interlocked. After interlocking the rail ends in the above manner the rail chair is moved into a position in which it extends over, or receives, the interlocked base portions of the rail ends, after'which the chair is securely A reversal of e above operation will permit of quickly and easily separating therail ends. The recess 7 slot 8 and recesses 9 are slightly longer than the portions of the rail end 2 which interlock therewith, thus permitting of the expansion and contraction of: the rails caused y variation of atmospheric conditions.

The sides of the tongue 6 converge slightly toward the under side of the tongue and the recess 7 also has similar convergent sides, whereby the part 6 wedges snugly in the recess 7, when the rail ends are oined together-. I Lateral play. of the-rail ends is thus efiectively prevented while the slight longitudinal relative movement of the rail ends is permitted for purposes above mentioned.

In the practical embodiment of this invention, the usual fish-plates, bolts and nuts, or similar fastening means are dispensed with resulting advantages of obvious import.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of j th1s invention.

The chair 4 of my joint means takes the lace of the ordinary fishplates, no nuts or olts being used, however, as mentioned above.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. Rail joint .means comprising rail ends, one rail end being provided in its head portion with a recess and having its base portion rojecting from its web and provided with a ongitudinal slot, the base portion aforesaid being provided with recesses at the outer edges of the projecting end, thereby forming.

hooks, and the other rail end having a tongue projecting from its head portion into the recess in the head of the first mentioned rail end while the base portion of the second rail end is formed with recesses in which the hooks aforesaid interlock.

2. Rail joint means comprising rail ends one of which is formed in the head thereof with a longitudinalrecess enlarged at its inner extremity, the base of said rail end having a longitudinal slot therein and projecting some distance from its web portion, the inner extremity of said slot being enlarged and the outer edge portions of the projecting base being formed with recesses at opposite sides of the slot, the other rail end. having an interlocking tongue extending from its head and received in the recess in the head of the first mentioned rail end, the base of the second rail end being received in and having a proj ection interlocking with the enlarged end of the slot-of-therfirst rail-end, and angular recesses being provided in the base of the second rail end to receive and interlock with the hooks of the first rail end.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. HAWK.

Witnesses J. W. MQGUIGAN, C. A. FRITZ. 

